Over 3,000 tickets have been issued to drivers in New York State during the Operation Hardhat initiative conducted by the New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies from April 1st to November 17th of this year, 3,062 tickets to be exact.
Authorities worked to crack down on work zone violations on roadways throughout New York and also express the importance of safe driving when drivers encounter construction zones, maintenance zones, and emergency operations.
This year’s enforcement initiative surpassed last year’s ticket numbers, which were 2,336 in 2021.
“Our highway maintenance workers put their safety on the line every day to keep New Yorkers moving,” Governor Hochul said. “Thank you to our partners in law enforcement for their ongoing commitment to protect our highway workers through ‘Operation Hardhat’ and urge motorists across the state to obey the rules in a work zone. It’s not a suggestion – it’s the law – and here in New York we have zero tolerance for negligent behavior that endangers our highway work crews.”
The 3,062 tickets issued during Operation Hardhat this year included the following violations:
Speeding – 1,209
Cell Phone – 426
Seatbelt – 297
Failure to Move Over – 124
Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device – 15
Unsafe Lane Change – 9
Failure to Obey Flagger – 4
Other Violations – 978
State and local law enforcement agencies patrolled work zones to enforce work zone speed limits and ensure drivers are following flaggers’ guidelines.